Storm Franklin: will your insurance cover damage and how do you claim?

theguardian.com:

First came Storm Dudley, battering Northern Ireland, northern England and southern Scotland. Storm Eunice swiftly followed on Friday, with wind speeds of up to 122mph, causing further destruction.

Then, Storm Franklin rolled in overnight on Sunday, causing heavy rain and flooding. Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes, and more than 150 flood warnings remained in place on Monday in the north of England, with Yorkshire and Manchester among the worst hit.

What happens if the extreme weather damages your property?

Buildings insurance policies usually state that they will cover financial loss caused by storm damage.

Kelly Whittington, the property and speciality lines claims director at Aviva, said: “Currently claims mainly relate to missing roof tiles and broken windows. However, we are seeing some more devastating cases such as fallen chimney stacks and trees falling on homes or vehicles.

“We have field teams across the UK and they will be concentrating on the worst-affected areas. These teams will be visiting our customers to assist them with their claims over the coming days.”

A spokesperson for Direct Line said the company has “significantly increased capacity” on its phone lines to deal with an “understandably high volume of inquiries”.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said that firms will be prioritising their vulnerable and elderly customers first when dealing with claims.

However, companies have been known to argue over what constitutes a storm.

Last year Guardian Money dealt with a case where an insurer refused to pay to repair a leaking roof damaged during Storm Christoph. The Financial Ombudsman Service says these type of disputes are among the main complaints it gets about unpaid storm damage